Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 439, 23 April 1892 — The Question of Equality. [ARTICLE]

The Question of Equality.

Wfaenever the well>fed hnl'kir of rauch of thifi worldV weaiih wishes to crosh and lo* «ioal)T polwke bk «Kāa]iBtic or 4iemoeratlc 4ppofieiit,iik« theChrisUaoa who wt \hebT Uttm* on the bfeek, I» tlimr> «U Uie m. ponolouil? of ef the tiiitiag esnditioß dthiom ap* «n«keslKmklm ofa mueh abo«ed injtli whieh he ealle Natore. Thi® lady, whom he pieMine aa a»«rtofcn)el fairj godo»o4ber, is floppoeed to live eomewWe within the bowe*s of the eaTth f a»tialaf tb*tiaie eo Mie nocewity 4*mlug &rth to kill somet'iing« aod fiIU»K iii her kbare moatiita waākkm cyckme and Udal*wave«, «•ahWei at*d monopo}ista and wl«8i fltiw peata, to eerve kr — iW«imiiriw of death andde*M BorviTal offitteet" U a ttock pluwn «Hh Um mniw who tolMi **fltwow w at hook-rotea lHtkill|ti 6f the h Iha oaljr t<wt ihai liw i«rrlm wjr, in «U pc»< M»Uie ki tku tb*

infini:e*t»al . life-germ. that ests :ir.*rtv i)u' :mii-rail« of loōomoiiva tr«i(.>s. <»r tne tiny pores ei i;j initc of tvhich men faehion bate:iient ston«§_£ir financi;\l iii6titut:ouf. i * I Men are not born equa); but the institution of the Btate is in it* self an avowsdefi>rt to lssoon tb# borrors of inequality as muoh aS i possible. and any state is adf»n«ed and progieMivo m nroportk>n as ths stronīgt)i of Ihi stioag and cunningoftbe eaan/ are kvoQt4 down to tbe weaknea of tbe weak and the toplidty of tbe eimpk. Otherwiee tho best possibie of aA| governments would be * eompiHt Uvetyranny ia whieh *pdk would be to tbe most mMm aiid the most birutal «t&d unsentpulo«l amoftg men. Wfcat a Mmm tbing woakl be a tyranny ofgeaios wilh soooMsive Jūlius Ciauior Napol&ui Bo29apabtes chrashing oat the life and energy ©f BtatM, aad disaipatiag the manhood of aaUons in wars subservin|ronly their owa ambitious en&# i *'Fortuoately the i genias is ordiaarily suooeeded bythe fool, and the exhausted eommuni* ty has a ehanee of recovering what of its misused vigor, and of again breasting up to tbe standard sēt by its too energetic masters of a preceding generation. To say that the mere poesession of extraordinary abihty to acquire, conBtitutee a riKht (in the moral sense) to override the rights of those less able to do so, is simply to give the denial to sll the ideals of humanitjr, whieh for at least eighteen centu» ries has found the higbest expree> sion of its perfieeted manhood in tbe personality of one to wbora tbe moral right was $aramount. Craft, and not merit, sdaes aiost of the malenal rewards of life, and this modern ddfioation of meye monetary suoocss !s the exoase whieh the fy«t«eo) of Fi%e Competitioo lays hold of to justify its existenoe. An enormous per centage of eaek wealth hae been inUerited by men totally ineapahle by themeelves, of earaing even an aversge livelihood, and it bas been augmented snd kept continuouely increasing by ineans of a Bystem oiaoi.ial meehan- j iem that no o.;e man i:i the wor]d j couid possibiy conirive. | * *. ■ •* Putting aside however all eonsideration as the means by whieh wealth has been acquirsd y togetber with the questions involved, by aa anseesment ef priority or equaUty of opportunites, tbe ieeue is a ver? eimpie one, aad it ie tbie: ebouid men hold pelitioal power in propertion to their iūammoī aot? lf it is granted that a fifty dollara a menth ineome or |SOOO in earth is the border liae whioh «ntitles a ttaa to a plarality of voiee, tfcen to be logkal a momy valo» should eaUUe Jay Oouki or Ba*ea Kolhokild , by 4 *riglii w of to have a oaetiag vote for a nitioa. If the poo—sion of proparty mēaaa mvral rigbs canying potoi£al power, if ineqaality saiong meo 'm ooe of NMaree aseet ssovad laws, intended ta be upbeldby b*mdnity atany wet, at any sumadbr «f elkelieal ideals, tbea re-eelabt!aii §MMlality witb iteehaUel jmt aad give ooei osare to ibe aMI iaasterhil aad bratal the tfaooaaad aod ooe penooal «Oakae of tbe kidow his efMtBro, ♦ • • Tboee wbo taUk of ioeqaalUy eooMoie pffapertfoM«e rigbts fcr-

gct tlint rbtre. are Uuiividoale to W —llu l nauiwl iihiu an<i the «th;ca! msn. ui&n .s a sellish s?tvag'', tne eiliieal man cotmMiifcs wiih <n:u'rti uf hie kinel in a «ociety» fouinU a govern* inent, and §urrendeiff e*rtain in« fetinctivd eiaiioe for the «ood of wkiol». Bucb a scci*ty it mad« up of the thriftle3S and the worthteas aad the v»thlesB as w<*U as tbe and tbe worthr, and eonm aa averafeha« tobe &rwk m Uml Um goTerament sbali wpfrh» «110 and oota«0lfeB lf ft i Kmt, 9»der a iomnmnl, »»al rightis a» mdl tiQOfl»ni;.i the iaw of demaod sad »uppfy. Tlie denioeiitte BW* «nwst £» «b amplifto&tkm Ih* te>Ojr. It» fb&etsoiia is th« oared aH Ht «MHm, «otbat no one »ball ba*e adra&t«se over a&olber To |mr tfee wealtby,tbe proBper©a», tbe tMity, tbe inhenlow ol Mlahi iaatiiteiB whieh alooe are BU@otel to pfotect tbem against tbe oo«BDetition of thoee not eimikurljr «sdowed, is to bandscap in the Bame proportion the poor, tbe needy and the ur.fortunate. £ver? crnteb piled upon the plate of .hiia who bath, ie a crurob stolen from tbe mouth of La2arusr The tr* mother protects her weakeai offspring againstthe aggrc£sionB ofthe rest. The ideel State ia that one in whieh the poBsesāion,of. :nere life is the dole eiaim to any right to anv kind t political or si)cial. Insiead of any increaee m politicul power aa a reward for tbe conservation of wealtb, Demoerj demand abdo<>btion bjr tbe Btate of tbat wealtb in order tbat poiitical power tball H9t aocrete in tbe hande of the few, and govemment tbus heoome tbe nik of a eaate or a eeeiion or«r the *Qtii» oommunity. In otber words, Demomor ie a poliUeal maohine for oorrectiiag tbe inevualitiee attriboted to EaiunU Order.